


Friends, Old and New

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: The Story of Us [7]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Drama, F/M, Family, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-10
Updated: 2013-09-10
Packaged: 2017-12-26 04:21:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/961493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“What?  Small talk over; it’s time for the interrogation to begin.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Friends, Old and New

**Author's Note:**

> And they’re still a couple. This universe gets more and more interesting.

** OCTOBER 2012 **

“You're not going to embarrass me, are you?” Ted asked.

“Are you kidding me?” she gently slapped his hand as he tried to take some steak. “I've been waiting since the day you were born for this moment.”

“Mom…”

“Yes?” As hard as she tried, Erin couldn’t keep a straight face. “You should see your face. You look just like your father when you're completely mortified.”

“Dad hates this.”

“I wouldn’t say he hates it, Ted. That’s strong.”

“It’s 2012, hard to find out that your dad thoughts are so archaic.”

“Hey,” she pointed her spatula at him. “Your father is not archaic and all Republicans are not part of the Evil Empire. Maybe it isn’t fair that parents, or anyone really, assumes straight until told otherwise. We should all have big, open minds. But the truth is that the world is still pretty heteronormative. It’s going to take Dad some getting used to. That doesn’t mean that he won't.”

“What if he doesn’t?” Ted asked.

“He will.” Erin added peppers and onions to the wok.

“You seem so sure.”

“Well you seem so unsure.”

“He hasn’t treated me the same since I came out. It’s like…I don't know Mom, I can't put my finger on it but he’s different. The way he looks at me, like I'm a person he doesn’t know. I'm not becoming the man he wants me to be and he can't hide his disappointment.”

“You're way off. Your father loves you so much. I know things are tense at the moment but you never need to doubt that. There is nothing you could do that would make him love you less than infinity. Can you get the soy sauce from the cabinet for me please?”

Ted nodded and walked over to the cabinet.

“I guess I just don’t think it should be that hard.” He sighed and said.

“You're not a parent, Ted.”

“But Mom, I haven’t changed. I was gay at nine, I'm gay at 16; I was born gay. It’s not like I'm sick or on drugs or something horrible that he has to hide from his country club friends. Am I?”

“I love you dearly but have you considered that you might be the one with a chip on your shoulder at the moment?”

“No.” Ted shook his head.

“I figured as much.” Erin leaned and kissed his cheek as the doorbell rang. “I think he's here.”

“Is Dad coming out of his office?”

“He had a work phone call; I'm sure he’ll be done soon. You go and answer the door.”

Ted nodded, turned and walked out of the room. Erin took the food out of the wok, placing it in a serving dish. She wasn’t the world’s best cook but stir fry had always been one of her specialties. On their first Valentine’s Day as a couple, Mark bought them a book called _Cooking Simple for Couples_. Neither one of them were experts in the kitchen. 25 years later and they still loved using it.

“Mom,” Ted came into the kitchen with another teenage boy. “This is Justin Braverman.”

“It’s great to meet you.” Erin quickly took off her apron and shook the young man’s hand. He was taller than Ted, probably about 6’1”. His hair was brown and fluffy, shaggy like The Beatles wore theirs in the 1960s. His eyes were a lovely shade of green. “I've heard good things about you.”

“I've heard the same about you, Agent Strauss. Ted doesn’t tell many people but he's totally a mama’s boy.”

“I am not.” Ted punched his arm. “Don’t believe a word he says.”

“You can call me Mrs. Strauss or Mrs. Cramer, Justin.”

“Oh no, I'm going to call you Agent Strauss if you don’t mind. I've heard all about your accomplishments in the FBI. It’s something Ted is quite proud of. I would be too.”

“Thank you so much. He's an amazing boy, isn’t he?”

“Mom…”

“I hope you brought your appetite.” Erin smiled.

“Oh yes ma'am.” Justin nodded.

“Is Dad going to join us?” Ted asked.

“I’ll go and get him. Can you set the table?”

“If he doesn’t want…”

“Edward Liam Cramer,” Erin didn’t want to snap in front of his company but Ted was pushing it. “You set the table and I’ll get your father.”

“Yes ma'am.” Ted nodded.

She left the room and went to Mark’s study. The door was ajar; Erin knocked softly before walking in. Her husband was on the phone. He smiled at her, holding up a finger.

“My wife just walked in so I should probably go. I hear you; I've heard every word. No, this isn’t easy for any of us but it should be. I have a right to my feelings but I have to open my mind. 

“Yes, yes, I know, understood. OK, she’s giving me that look. You should see her look…its legendary. I’ll call you back later to let you know. Right, alright.”

Mark hung up the phone and looked at Erin. She gave him a cheeky smile.

“Was that your girlfriend?” she asked.

“My boyfriend actually. I didn’t know how to tell you.”

“Its dinnertime.”

“He's here?” Mark asked.

“He's here.” Erin came around the desk. She held out her hands, he took them, and she pulled Mark out of his chair. Sighing happily, she toyed with his tie. “Why are you still dressed from the office?”

“I came home early for dinner and didn’t have a chance to change. The phone’s been ringing off the hook. I wasn’t sure if I should go for Casual Dad or Intimidating Senator.”

“To be fair, when Nora and MK brought home their first boyfriends you did Intimidating Senator to aplomb.”

“I did, didn’t I?” Mark grinned. “But this is a little different.”

“Why?”

“We don’t know this young man. He could be dealing with a horrible situation at home. I don’t want him to think I'm automatically against him. Ted and I have had some tense moments lately. He could’ve already shared them with his friend.”

“Casual Dad then.” Erin undid his tie. She put it down on the desk. Mark took off his suit jacket and ran his fingers through his hair a few times. “A kiss for good luck.”

“Yes,” he kissed her and then hugged her close. “Perfect.”

He took a deep breath, held onto his wife’s hand, and left the study. Mark could do this. He was only facing a 17 year old boy. He’d had arguments in the Senate that lasted longer than Justin had been alive. He loved his son and wanted to support Ted in every way. There were going to be enough people in the world who had a problem with who he was. Mark didn’t want to be part of that negativity.

“Justin,” when he walked into the kitchen, Mark extended his hand. “It’s good to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, Senator.” Justin smiled.

“Dinner smells delicious, honey.” Mark kissed Erin’s temple. “I didn’t know how hungry I was until I smelled it. Let’s eat.”

They all sat around the kitchen table. It was a bit awkward at first but that was to be expected. Mark served dinner and Justin complimented Erin on how good it was. Ted poured red wine for his parents, getting iced tea from the fridge for Justin and himself.

“So Ted said you're an artist.” Mark said. “What kind of art do you prefer?”

“I'm a graphic artist. The two of us met working on the school newspaper.”

“Justin does a great comic called _School Daze_.” Ted said. “He's been up for awards over the past couple of years.”

“Are those the ones taped to your mirror?” Erin asked. “They're funny.”

“They're surely not my best work, artistically speaking.” Justin said. “But I thought it would be a good idea to have some kind of art experience on my college applications so I started volunteering at the paper when I was a sophomore.”

“You're about to head off to college, right?”

“I graduate in June.” Justin nodded. “I've applied to a handful of schools but my fingers are crossed for the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. I think the programs there are best for developing my graphic arts skills. I also want to get more into website design and possibly parlay it all into marketing. The future is wide open in this business.”

“He's even applied to an art school in Toronto.” Ted said.

“Do you have family there?” Erin asked.

“My father teaches at University of Toronto in the English Department. We’re not that close, especially since I came out a few years ago. But my stepmother is good to me. I doubt I’ll go there but my mother encouraged me to apply to every school I thought would be a good fit.”

“This might sound strange but is Paula Braverman your mother?” Mark asked. “Her eyes are distinctive and yours look similar.”

“You’ve been looking at another woman’s eyes?” his wife looked at him.

“She's also an amazing writer.” Mark replied. “Her eyes are a secondary distraction.”

“She is my mother.” Justin said. “I wasn’t aware that you knew her.”

“We do run in some of the same circles.” Mark said. “You remember Paula honey; she made that honey barbecue salmon that you love so much.”

“Your mother makes the amazing honey barbecue salmon?” Erin’s eyes widened. “You’ve got to get the recipe for me. She told me the glaze was homemade.”

“I’ll do that ma'am.” Justin smiled.

“How long have you and Ted been um…dating?”

“Dad!”

“What? Small talk over; it’s time for the interrogation to begin.”

“I appreciate the time I was given to eat some dinner.” Justin said. “It’s great by the way, Agent Strauss.”

“Thank you.” Erin nodded.

“As to your question Senator Cramer, Ted and I started hanging out before school ended last year. Over the summer some mutual friends pushed us together. We’re keeping it casual…I’ll be graduating in June. Right now we’re just having a nice time together.”

“And you feel the same way, Ted?” his father asked.

“Sure.” Ted nodded. “We’re not getting married, Dad. We’re just dating and having fun together.”

“Teenagers find a lot of ways to have fun.” Mark said. “Whatever way you choose make sure it’s safe, do you boys understand?”

“Yes sir.” Justin nodded.

“I'm just going to sit here and pray for the floor to swallow me whole.” Ted mumbled, putting his hand over his face.

“Would you like some more tea, Justin?” Erin asked. “You might need to cool off after exposure to those hot lights.”

“Yes ma'am, thank you.”

“I thought I was pretty tame.” Mark said. “But while on the subject…we need to talk about your driving skills.”

“We do?” Ted looked mortified.

“I would like to know about those myself.” Erin said. “I assume that you have your own car, Justin.”

She smiled to herself as she went over to the refrigerator. Her husband was back, playing intimidating Senator with aplomb. He’d thrown in a bit of Casual Dad, got everyone’s nerves out of the way. He’d told Erin that he didn’t want to treat Ted any differently since he’d come out of the closet. Tonight Mark was proving that he meant that. Every guy his two daughters walked through the doors of their McLean home got the same treatment. It was going to be interesting to see where this evening took them.

***

“That’s my phone. That’s my phone.” Mark mumbled between kisses, reaching back toward the nightstand.

“I don’t give a damn about your phone.” Erin wrapped her arms tighter around him.

“I know honey but that’s my phone.”

He managed to get his hands on it and accepted the call. His wife was less than impressed with his acrobatic skill.

“Hello. Hi.”

“Who is it?” Erin asked. “Who's interrupting my private time? Go away! We don’t want to talk to you.”

“Erin…” Mark laughed.

“Who is it? Give me that.” She took the phone and looked at the display. “Hello, Daniel Pierdon.”

“Um, hello.” A male on the other end said.

“This is Erin Strauss.”

“Erin, really?” Mark rolled his eyes but he was smiling. “Don’t intimidate the poor man.”

“Hello Erin. You can call me Dan; everyone else does. I'm friends with Mark; we play squash together on Wednesday afternoons.”

“How long have you been squash partners?” Erin asked.

“For about nine years now.” Dan replied.

“That’s really great Dan. Mark would love to talk but he’s a little busy right now. You see I'm a demanding wife and I'm in the process of demanding his full attention. I promise you that he’ll call tomorrow since its Friday and he's a Senator and probably won't be doing any work anyway.”

“Let him know that I’ll talk to him tomorrow.” Dan said laughing.

“I appreciate it. You have a great night.”

“You too Erin, goodnight.”

Erin hung up the phone, placing it on her nightstand. She didn’t want any more disturbances to her evening.

“You're bad, Erin.” Mark pulled her close. “So bad.”

“Squash partners?”

“It’s true, I swear. Dan is one of my few non-political friends. It’s a relationship I do my best to nurture.”

“How did you two meet?” Erin asked. She slid one of her legs up his. Mark shivered as he ran his hands down her back.

“I did a talk on campus. He teaches in the Social Sciences Department at NOVA. I was there to talk about education stepping stones and how community colleges were very important to young America’s future.”

“I remember that speech. It’s weird that you’ve been friends with someone for a decade and I don’t know him. We should have lunch; you can invite him over. I’d like to get to know him better. If you want to share that is. There are some things you don’t like sharing. If Dan is one of them I’ll do my best to understand.”

“I just don’t want to do that right now.” Mark said. “I probably should’ve long ago but now we have to wait.”

“Why?”

“Because it might seem calculated.”

“Having a longtime friend over for lunch might seem calculated?” Erin asked. “In what way?”

“Dan is gay, Erin, and I've always been OK with that. I just don’t want Ted thinking that I've pulled some token gay friend out of my hat to seem as if I'm more in touch with his situation. I've been talking to Dan, OK?” his arms dropped from around her but he stayed close. “I didn’t want to tell anyone, I didn’t even want to tell you. 

“I have been struggling with this and I hardly knew how to say it. Ted is my son. How can I not be able to just talk to my son? Dan has been helping me.”

“There is nothing wrong with asking for help.” Erin caressed his face. “It’s not as if you're being friendly with Dan just to get advice. Has he been helping you?”

“He has.” Mark nodded. “But, I think you put an end to that phone call for a reason.”

“And what reason would that be, Senator?” she smiled.

“Clearly you want my body.”

“Mmm,” Erin stroked his naked chest. “Clearly.”

They were kissing when Ted knocked and then just walked into the room. He let out a sound of surprise, covering his eyes. Mark grabbed the afghan from the bottom of the bed to cover himself. He was only wearing a towel.

“This is my own fault.” Ted mumbled. “This is entirely my own fault.”

“You can uncover your eyes, Edward.” Erin said. “We’re all decent.”

“Mostly.” His father said.

“I just wanted to say goodnight.” Ted slowly uncovered his eyes. “I have school in the morning and we’re practicing indoors after because it’s supposed to rain. I’ll call if I decide to hang out after lacrosse.”

“Goodnight sweetheart.” Erin said. “Did you get all of your homework done?”

“Yes ma'am. Dad, I appreciate you having dinner with us tonight. Justin thought you and Mom were very cool. I explained to him that nothing could be further from the truth.”

“It’s my house, Ted, where else would have dinner?”

“Yeah, OK.” The teen nodded. “Goodnight.”

“Hey Ted,” his father stopped him. “I know you usually take the bus to school and use that time to clear your mind. But I thought I’d drive you in the morning. I want to talk to you about something.”

“Oh, I guess that’s OK.”

“Goodnight, son.”

“Goodnight.” 

Ted left the room and Erin looked at her husband. Mark tried to smile but his heart wasn’t all the way in it. When she caressed his face, he tried a little harder. Erin kissed his nose and then his lips. Mark hugged her close.

“I love you.” He whispered. “I love you for an inordinate amount of reasons but the top 3 are the most important.”

“And what, pray tell, are the top three?” she pulled the afghan off, threw it to the side, and pulled him under the covers with her.

“The way you’ve always loved and supported me.” Mark kissed her neck. “The way you love my children…our children.” He unbuttoned Erin’s pajama top. “That you never left me, no matter how much I may have deserved it.”

“Oh Mark…”

“Please don’t say it like that.” 

“Say it like what?” Erin asked. His cumbersome towel had to go. She couldn’t believe it made it as long as it had.

“Don’t say it in that ‘oh my God, he's so adorable and dumb’ tone. That tone either makes me want to take you until you scream my name or it brings tears to my eyes. Those emotions are too far apart on the spectrum to be comfortable.”

“You are so adorable.” She gently pushed him on his back and straddled him. “You are adorable, you can be quite dumb when you're not being absolutely brilliant, and I love you madly.”

“Always?” he asked, pushing the shirt off her shoulders. Mark reveled in her near nakedness.

“For the time being. And I think I have a lot of time, Senator.”

***


End file.
